Climate Crisis and Us
Written by Neha and Preethi
Climate change is the defining catastrophe of our time, and it is happening faster than we anticipated. But we are far from powerless in the face of this global threat. As Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out in September, “the climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win”.
We are all aware of the climate crisis and we can see it getting worse every day. But let’s not forget that we won’t have a future without planet earth.
“The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.”
Greta Thunberg, climate change activist
No corner of the globe is immune from the devastating consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures are fueling environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict, and terrorism. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning. It is clear that business as usual is not good enough. As the infinite cost of climate change reaches irreversible highs, now is the time for bold collective action.
Every year, billions of tonnes of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere as a result of coal, oil, and gas production. Human activity is emitting greenhouse gases at an high degree, with no indications of decreasing. We are on pace to maintain a “business as usual” trajectory, according to a ten-year summary of UNEP Emission Gap surveys.
The previous four years have been the hottest on record. According to a September 2019 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, we are at least one degree Celsius over preindustrial levels and are on the verge of what experts call a “unacceptable risk.” The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change aims for limiting future warming to “well below” two degrees Celsius, with attempts to restrict it even further, to 1.5 degrees. However, if we do not reduce global emissions, temperatures may increase over three degrees Celsius by 2100, inflicting irreversible damage to our ecosystems.
Who is responsible for climate change?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world convened under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded in its Fifth Assessment Report that there is a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the last 50 years have warmed our planet.
Human activity is the main cause of climate change. By burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and livestock farming, humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature.
This adds huge amounts of greenhouse gases to the already existing ones in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect and contributing to global warming.
In the last 150 years, the industrial activities on which our contemporary civilization is based have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 416 parts per million. The panel also found that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are responsible for the majority of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures during the last 50 years.
How is climate change affecting us?
Global warming has an impact on everyone's food and water security. Climate change is a direct cause of soil degradation, which reduces the amount of carbon that the earth can hold. Today, 500 million people live in erosion-affected areas, and up to 30% of food is lost or squandered as a result. Meanwhile, climate change reduces the quantity and quality of water available for drinking and agriculture. Crops that have thrived for centuries are failing to survive in many regions, putting food security at risk. Such consequences disproportionately affect the poor and disadvantaged. Global warming is likely to widen the gap in economic production between the world's richest and poorest countries.
Climate change affects all of us. It affects our basic human rights, right to clean water, food, education, development, etc.
It is the reason for the increasing number of natural disasters that are affecting our lives directly or indirectly.
It increases the risk of various other diseases as the temperature keeps on rising.
It is also the reason behind the increasing prices of our daily necessities, which make them unaffordable for a large section of the society
Is it too late?
It is still not too late. If we start now and take immediate action, we can still prevent some of the worst effects of climate change.
The World Meteorological Organization wrote that "2021 is a make-or-break year for climate action, with the window to prevent the worst impacts of climate change—which include ever more frequent more intense droughts, floods and storms—closing rapidly."
While science proves that climate change is inevitable, it also proves that it is not too late to salvage the tide. This will necessitate major changes in all parts of life, including how we grow food, utilise land, transport commodities, and power our economy.
While technology has contributed to climate change, new and efficient technologies may aid in the reduction of net emissions and the creation of a cleaner planet. For more than 70% of today's emissions, readily available technical alternatives are currently available. Renewable energy is currently the cheapest energy source in many locations, and electric vehicles are on the verge of becoming ubiquitous.
Meanwhile, nature-based solutions provide "breathing room" as we work to decarbonize our economy. These solutions enable us to reduce our carbon footprint while also promoting essential ecosystem services, biodiversity, access to clean water, improved livelihoods, healthier diets, and food security. Improved farming methods, land restoration, conservation, and the greening of food supply chains are examples of nature-based solutions.
Scalable new technology and nature-based solutions will allow us all to accelerate our transition to a cleaner, more resilient society. We can create a green future in which suffering is reduced, justice is preserved, and harmony between people and earth is restored if governments, companies, civil society, youth, and academics work together.
Remember climate change can’t be reversed overnight, but slowly we can make a change for better
What can we do?
Speak Up! Educate yourself and others about climate change.
Increase energy efficiency;
Increase the use of renewable energy;
Conserve and protect water resources through efficiency, reuse, and stormwater management;
Eliminate waste, prevent pollution, and increase recycling;
Leverage agency acquisitions to foster markets for sustainable technologies and environmentally preferable materials, products, and services;
Design, construct, maintain, and operate high-performance sustainable buildings;
Maintain compliance with all applicable federal, state, local or territorial law and regulations related to energy security, a healthy environment, and environmentally sound operations
“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”
Barack Obama, Former US President